I woke the children and found Didcott had aged a few years and Worthing was eight months old.

(Or around that.)

I wanted to scream - "Why? Why now? What's wrong with being ten? Isn't it nice being ten? I thought you said you like throwing coats on the floor and not washing!"

But the driver might have heard.

(He was in the kitchen, taking cereal packets from the cupboards and making tea.)

(I expect he's used to helping families like this.)

Didcott carried Worthing to the car while I went into the garden and took breaths of morning air.

.

The buds on the Madame Alfred Carriere Rose are distinctly red. They always are. Why? The flowers are cream. (Though with a revolting pinkish tone.) It was a mistake, this rose. It's big and floppy and I didn't want pinkish when I bought it and I still don't.

(Monet would have liked it.)

The buds on the apple tree are bigger now, even bigger and more open than yesterday, but I still don't know if they are for flowers or for leaves.

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MING

MING'S SPACESHIP

(DISGUISED AS A 1950'S SUITCASE AND HIDDEN IN THE SHED)

MARTIAN

sounds like a cross between Welsh and Chinese.

Much of it comes from the back of the throat, ripples along the tongue and slams into the roof of the mouth.The intonation goes up and down a lot (which is pleasant) - but there are also a lot of startling exclamations mixed in, making the speaker seem aggressive to those who (like me) are used to speaking English.(Even when they aren't.)(Aggressive.)